University of São Paulo Study Warns Against Baby Profiles on Social Media

According to the Digital 2024 report by the communications agency We Are Global , Brazil is in second place in time spent on social media, with an average of 9h13 per week, just behind South Africa, with 9h24.

There are several reasons why Brazilians spend a lot of time on social media. And creativity has something to do with it. There are influencers, for example, who create profiles for their children, even before they are born, turning them into child influencers, or rather, intrauterine influencers. However, many parents or guardians do not think about the negative impact that exposing the lives of these children, especially those exposed since the womb, can have on their development as individuals.

One of the figures who stands out for creating content based on the growth of her children is actress and digital influencer Viih Tube, who has more than 30 million followers on her social media and has partnerships with major beauty and personal care brands. Together with her partner, the influencer created a children’s clothing and accessories brand after the birth of her first daughter, using her as a spokesperson. According to Viih Tube, the brand earned R$17 million in 2023. Pregnant with her second child, the influencer created an Instagram account for the fetus, which already has more than 150 thousand followers.  

Physical and emotional impacts 

For Sérgio Kodato, professor of Social Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP) at USP, overexposure to social media can lead to self-esteem problems. “Self-image and self-concept can be strongly influenced by feedback from social media, making them more vulnerable to criticism and rejection.”

According to information from the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP), in addition to the psychological impacts, such as anxiety, depression and dependence, excessive use or exposure to social networks for children can generate physical problems, such as sleep and eating disorders, a sedentary lifestyle and postural problems. According to psychologist Washington Barbosa, a specialist in child and family psychology, this exposure can hinder the development of a child’s personality. “One of the biggest problems with this is the pressure on children to be who they are or to live up to the expectations placed on them. Since they have been exposed to this since before birth, these children already have a process of being pressured into how they act and behave,” he says.

Legal measures 

According to article 17 of the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), every child and adolescent has the inviolable right to physical, mental and moral integrity, which includes the preservation of image, identity and privacy. In addition to the ECA, the Federal Constitution states in its article 227 that it is the duty of the family, society and the State to guarantee dignity, respect and family and social coexistence to all children and adolescents in the country. 

According to Victor Barlow, a master’s student at the USP Ribeirão Preto Law School (FDRP), if parents or guardians do not provide these legal guarantees to children and adolescents, they can be sued. “It is possible to sue parents or guardians for improper use of images, but for this to happen, the child or adolescent must be legally represented by a legal guardian or one of the guardians who is not involved in the exposure of the image.” 

In the case of profiles created for fetuses, despite being recognized as subjects of rights by the Civil Code, the right to image and privacy does not have specific protection standards for them. “In Brazil, the protection of the rights of fetuses is provided for in the legislation, especially in the Civil Code, which recognizes the fetus as a subject of rights from conception, even though it is not yet born. The right to image and privacy, however, is not specifically detailed for fetuses in the current legislation”, states Barlow.

However, although there are sanctions for those who inappropriately expose children or adolescents on social media, the participation of minors in advertising is legal. “In the case of children and adolescents, any use of their image for commercial purposes must comply with the ECA, which protects against exploitation and guarantees respect for physical, psychological and moral integrity. However, monetizing a profile of a fetus may be considered inappropriate and potentially legally risky.” 

Overexposure is not exclusive to influencers 

In addition to influencer Viih Tube, other celebrities have adopted the idea of ​​creating social media profiles for their children. Influencer and comedian Júlio Cocielo and his wife, digital influencer and businesswoman Tata Estaniecki, manage the profiles of their two children, who have more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram between them. 

The debate about the overexposure of fetuses, children and adolescents in the media is long-standing. “Although we are talking about influencers, celebrities and the British royal family themselves have already dealt with this overexposure. The difference is that today they do it by choice,” concludes Barbosa.